This invention concerns a connection element for connecting modular elements for crawl spaces and floor structures as set forth in the main claim.
The connection element according to the invention is able to connect modular elements applied in the building trade, for both civil and industrial buildings and restructuring, so as to achieve self-supporting constructions to be cast on site, suitable to function as a crawl space to insulate the floors from the underlying ground, and also as an intermediate floor structure between storeys, and also to achieve roofing, floating floors, ventilated roofs, upset roofs or other similar structures.
The state of the art includes structures, called crawl spaces, used to make the bases for floors and suitable to create an insulating interspace between the floor and the underlying ground so as to prevent humidity and/or concentrations of gas from rising inside the buildings.
These structures define interspaces suitable to allow the air to circulate. They are made of modular elements consisting of expendable formworks equipped with legs and able to be jointed together or associated in some other manner.
These formworks are easy and quick to install, and moreover the concrete can be cast immediately after they have been installed.
The formworks, associated together, define on the upper part a substantially continuous surface which acts as a base for the cast concrete, and a plurality of vertical ribs and fissures which form pillars, uniformly distributed and able to increase the load capacity of the crawl space.
In a large number of applications, the covering layer of concrete is reinforced with metal rods, consisting of an electronically welded mesh and/or iron round pieces, in order to consolidate the floor.
The metal rod reinforcement is placed on the plane defined by the formworks and then incorporated into the covering layer of concrete.
When round pieces are used, as it is not possible to anchor these elements to the formworks, the round pieces are attached to each other with metallic wire, by means of welding or other operations in order to prevent them from moving from their original collocation during the laying of the concrete.
All this causes problems which limit the complete and rational use of the crawl spaces with expendable formworks.
Another disadvantage is that structures such as are known in the state of the art made with such formworks are not self-supporting and therefore need an adequate support on an appropriately consolidated foundation.
In the event that the underlying foundation should subside, even in part, the whole planar structure consisting of the modular elements already assembled may crack, yield or bend, with obvious dangerous consequences to the floors above.
Furthermore, since the finished floor structure is not self-supporting, the modular elements known in the state of the art cannot be used in an efficient manner to construct self-supporting floor structures.
My previous patent application EP-A-0 803 618 discloses a modular element for the support and ventilation of floors, and suitable to support a layer of reinforced concrete defining a space wherein the air circulates and which separates the underlying ground and the layer of concrete. Such modular element includes an upper face, supporting legs and, in an underlying position, a pillar element for support and reinforcement.
The connection element and the associated improved modular elements according to the present invention have been designed and embodied to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain further advantages.
The invention is set forth and characterised in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the idea of the main embodiment.
The purpose of the invention is to provide a connection element or auxiliary element for removably connecting two modular elements which can be used in self-supporting structures suitable to be used both below the base plane of the construction, to ensure insulation between the floor and the underlying ground, and also as a floor structure between intermediate storeys, and also as a roofing element.
The fact that the structure obtained with a plurality of modular elements according to the invention is self-supporting ensures that it has a high level of stability, even when there is a partly yielding supporting surface or base ground.
The modular element allows, alone or in combination with one or more analogous modular elements associated therewith, to position and anchor the structural reinforcement elements, such as beams, joists, lattices or similar, which have a static bearing function.
Such structural reinforcement elements, once they have been installed and incorporated into the cast concrete, form a self-supporting structure, which can also have a net-like structure, one-directional or two-directional.
The structure performs both a stabilising function if positioned on yielding bases or ground, and also, especially, the function of a self-supporting structure to constitute, for example, a floor structure for intermediate storeys or a roofing for the construction.
The floor structure defined with the improved modular elements according to the invention can be either planar or inclined, vaulted, barrel-shaped, dome-shaped, or some other shape.
The improved modular element according to the invention also allows an easy and quick positioning of conduits, pipes and cables, and an easy and accurate positioning of auxiliary reinforcement elements, for example round pieces or longitudinal rods, which act as a further support and reinforcement.
Another purpose of the invention is to obtain a modular element which can be used to support or accommodate accessory elements functional to the installation, preparation and/or functioning of technological networks or service networks of the construction where it is used.
A further purpose of the invention is to considerably reduce the spaces needed for storage, and also to facilitate transport and on-site assembly operations and make them more functional.
The improved modular element according to the invention has a conformation defined by lower supporting legs and by a substantially planar upper surface.
The upper surface is defined by a convex base plane which bends downwards in such a way that it extends, at the corners, into the aforesaid legs substantially without interruption.
The structure thus obtained delimits, inside and below, a space which guarantees a suitable insulating height between the upper surface and the floor, and also a ventilation area wherein the air can circulate.
According to the invention, in a first embodiment, in correspondence with at least one side the modular element has its relative legs, located at the four corners, connected to each other by an arch which is lowered with respect to the base plane of the upper surface.
The lowered arch, when coupled with an identical lowered arch of an adjacent modular element, defines a positioning seating suitable to accommodate a reinforcement element, such as a beam, a joist or a lattice.
According to the invention, the positioning seating has a depth of at least 10 centimetres with respect to the highest point defined by the upper surface of the modular element, thus allowing a reinforcement element with static structural bearing characteristics to be positioned.
The conformation of the structural reinforcement element can be chosen as desired, for example rectangular, T-shaped, triangular or other.
By coupling a plurality of modular elements according to the invention until a substantially continuous surface is achieved which defines the floor or the floor structure element, a plurality of positioning seatings is defined for reinforcement elements.
The reinforcement elements, placed in position, can form a reinforced structure which, when incorporated into the cast concrete and after consolidation thereof, constitutes a self-supporting structure which collaborates to form the floor of the construction, whether it be a base floor or an intermediate floor.
In another embodiment of the invention, the modular element comprises a lowered hollow made along at least one median axis of its upper surface and defining the positioning seating for the reinforcement element, beam, joist or lattice.
In this case too, by coupling a plurality of modular elements according to the invention it is possible to define positioning seatings which will allow to form a reinforced mesh with a self-supporting and consolidating structural function.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the connection or auxiliary element is shaped like a bow and a cradle, equipped with means to anchor itself to the bow-shaped lateral edges of two elements of the type described above and arranged adjacent to each other, so as to define at least a positioning seating for reinforcement elements.
In this embodiment, therefore, the modular elements of the type described above do not couple directly with each other, attaching the relative lateral edges, but by means of the bow-shaped and cradle-shaped auxiliary elements, which thus perform both the function of reciprocal connection between the modular elements, and also that of positioning seating for the reinforcement elements.
Two or more connection or auxiliary elements may be arranged laterally adjacent to position two respective reinforcement elements adjacent, so as to constitute a beam of a width which is a multiple of the width of the individual reinforcement element.
According to a variant, the positioning seatings for the reinforcement elements include means or seatings to support and accommodate auxiliary round pieces or rods, the function of which is to stiffen and further reinforce the self-supporting structure consisting of the combination of modular elements.
The modular element according to the invention can assume, in a variant of the invention, a conformation without any protruding zones or discontinuities, and with all positive angles so that, in the event it is used to make floor structure elements, the element can be removed after the concrete cast has been made and consolidated.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the lower end of the legs is shaped in such a manner as to ensure that the modular element lies stably on the base surface and to allow easy and rapid connection operations to associate two or more modular elements according to the invention to each other.
According to another variant, the lower ends of the legs include means to attach the modular element to the supporting surface, such as for example, holes for screws, nails or rivets.
These attachment means can also be employed to mount possible extensions, used to raise the plane defined by the modular elements.
According to another variant, in correspondence with the upper face there is at least a hole whose inner surface defines a truncated cone, or a truncated pyramid.
According to a first variant, the smaller base of this hole is closed, and is located at the same height as the supporting base of the modular element.
According to another variant, the hole is central; according to yet another variant, the invention has two or more holes.
When the elements are stored, at least one hole makes it possible to place the elements one above the other and stack them temporarily, so as to make a stable and easily transportable stack.
During the operational step, before the concrete is poured, the independent load capacity is much higher.
It is within the spirit of the invention to provide ridges, in correspondence with the support for the beams, lattices or otherwise, the ridges being suitable to hold the metal structure detached from the surface of the modular element or in any case from its positioning seating, in order to obtain that the metal structure is completely incorporated into the concrete.